Seven Ten Clark

By some miracle, I have an honest-to-goodness three-day weekend, starting today. Oh mah gah. Can I tell you how badly I’ve needed some time off? I know I just came home from vacation a month ago, but you should know that my life has been nonstop stress and busy work ever since then. Usually, I have clinic over the weekends, busting my ass for 9 hours at a stretch at the hospital, learning what I can and soaking up as much experience as I can grab. I was even supposed to have clinic this weekend as well, but by the grace of my poor instructor, I got out of it and will manage to enjoy my three-day weekend like a normal person. Hooray!

Unlike most normal people, though, I’m going to choose to spend my long weekend being as productive as fuck, because I can’t do it any other time. And because I am in love with making lists, here is the one I’ve made for this weekend:

FRIDAY

• Check out a possibly awesome antique garage sale
  (the pickings were slim, but Kevin snagged an old drive-in theater radio)
• Go to the bank
• Go out for vegetarian Indian food at Masala
  (we ended up eating at Exotic India in Coralville to avoid the Jazz Fest crowds, and we really missed Masala)
• Go to hardware store to schedule garage drop-off, price railroad ties for retaining wall, buy hole saw, price garden sheds, stare longingly at hardwood flooring
• Lie around watching Moon and drinking cocktails (hey, gotta start the weekend out right, am I right?)
  (Moon was delicious, and only partly because I want ravage Sam Rockwell)
• Write grocery shopping list/menu
• Organize linen closet
• Hem living room curtains (which have needed to be hemmed for over a year)

SATURDAY

• Workout at the gym
• Study session with clinic girls
  (didn’t get up in time, so I studied at the gym)
• Take stock of spice cabinet
• Trip to Kalona for cheese curds, doughnuts, and spices with Dawn
• Order some spice jars to get that shit organized and pretty
  (I ended up getting a case of 24 2oz jars)
• Take pictures of backyard and baby birds nesting on the side porch
• Write up backyard/garage update
• Barbeque for dinner
• Bake something
  (Can I pretend I baked something if I bought a Dutch apple pie in Amish-town instead?)
• Build shoe shelving in front closet
• Organize front closet

SUNDAY

• Workout at the gym
• Study/homework
• Laundry
• Organize basement
• Take pictures of basement
• Write up basement update blog post
• Help classmate with setting up her iPad
• Boating with friends
• Bake something
• Barbeque for dinner
• Go watch Iowa City’s fireworks from parking ramp rooftop
  (we watched from the Pentacrest instead)

MONDAY

• Workout at the gym
• Study/homework
• Friendship bracelet-making!
• Set up computer backups on new hard drive
• Bake something
• Pedicure
• Buy new cat food bowls
• Go watch Coralville’s fireworks in the park

Jesus, that’s an ambitious list. We’ll see how far we get.

I don’t know why I try to set non-guest goal activities for myself when I have people coming over. Isn’t that silly? Like I’m going to be tromping around with a dirty laundry basket while people are trying to socialize! Tonight’ll be my catch-up night, to finish the things from the other two nights this week that I didn’t manage to get to, plus a few extra. Tonight starts my 5-day weekend, too, ahhhhhhh! I think I’m going to drink an organic raspberry ale in celebration. And eat a salad. I’m so subversive.

THINGS TO DO WEDNESDAY

• Finish laundry
• Straighten bedroom
• Vacuum bedroom
• Order sink unit for basement bathroom
• Cook dinner
• Plan menu and grocery list for St. Patrick’s Day feast tomorrow
• Wash bedding
• Spot vac floors
• Sweep kitchen